Reclosable package having an accessible zipper and a method for making the same

ABSTRACT

A reclosable package includes a tray, a top sheet, and a fastener. The tray has a well for receiving contents and a peripheral flange surrounding the well. The top sheet is attached to the peripheral flange. The fastener has two interlocking members, one attached to the peripheral flange and the other attached to the top sheet. A tamper-evident feature located on the package prevents access to the fastener and is connected thereto by one or two lines of weaknesses. In one embodiment with one or two lines of weakness in the top sheet, the fastener remains adjacent to the tray&#39;s peripheral flange, which is intact after the tamper-evident feature is removed by tearing along these lines of weakness. In a second embodiment with two lines of weakness, the tamper-evident feature, comprised of portions of the peripheral flange and the top sheet, is torn from the package along both lines of weakness.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to reclosable packages and, inparticular, to packages that have a formed tray with a flexible coverover the tray.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Plastic packages are popular for storing food products and otheritems. Reclosable packages that can be securely closed and reopened areparticularly popular due to their ability to maintain freshness of thefood stored in the package and to minimize leakage to and from thepackage. Thus, reclosable packages are very common, especially in thefood industry.

[0003] Reclosable packages are typically made to be reclosable via theuse of a reclosable feature, such as a resealable adhesive seal or areclosable zipper. Reclosable zippers can be opened and closed either byfinger pressure or by use of an auxiliary slider mechanism. Because ofthe mechanical sealing provided by a zipper, the zipper has become thepreferred type of reclosable feature.

[0004] In one particular type of package, a formed tray is sealed byflexible cover that is positioned over the formed tray. Theseformed-tray packages are especially useful for packaging items such asmeats and cheese. Because these types of contents are not all used atonce, it is desirable to have these formed-tray packages include atamper-evident feature and a reclosable zipper. Further, because theopening and closing of these zippers is more easily accomplished by useof a slider, consumers prefer a slider-actuated zipper.

[0005] The present invention relates to an improved formed-tray packagehaving a tamper-evident feature and a zipper that is preferably actuatedby a slider.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is a reclosable package having a tray, atop sheet, and a fastener. The tray has a well and a peripheral flange.The well receives contents and the peripheral flange surrounds the well.The top sheet is attached to the peripheral flange.

[0007] The fastener has first and second interlocking members. The firstinterlocking member is attached to the peripheral flange and the secondinterlocking member is attached to the top sheet. A tamper-evidentfeature is attached to the top sheet along a line of weakness andprevents access to the fastener. The tamper-evident feature is alsoremovably attached to the peripheral flange, usually by a peel seal.

[0008] To gain initial access to the package, the tamper-evident featureis removed from the package to allow access to the fastener. After thetamper-evident feature is removed from the package by tearing it fromthe top sheet along the line of weakness, the peripheral flange of thetray remains entirely intact. As such, in this first embodiment, theremovable tamper-evident feature is a part of only the top sheet.

[0009] In a variation of this first embodiment, the tamper-evidentfeature may be attached to the peripheral flange with a stronger seal.The top sheet, however, includes a second line of weakness near thestronger seal, allowing the tamper-evident feature to be torn from thepackage between the two lines of weakness. Thus, the tamper-evidentfeature is that portion of the top sheet defined between the two linesof weakness.

[0010] In a second embodiment, the top sheet is attached to the sidesand the bottom of the peripheral flange with a generally continuousfirst seal. The top sheet is further attached to the top of theperipheral flange with a generally continuous second seal. The firstseal is spaced away from the second seal. The fastener has a firstinterlocking member attached to the peripheral flange and a secondinterlocking member attached to the top sheet. The fastener provides aseal between the top sheet and the tray along a line that extendsbetween the two sides of the peripheral flange.

[0011] In this second embodiment, a tamper-evident feature is attachedto the top sheet along a first line of weakness and attached to theperipheral flange of the tray along a second line of weakness. The firstand second lines of weakness are above the first seal. Thetamper-evident feature is removable from the package along the lines ofweakness to allow access to the fastener.

[0012] The above summary of the present invention is not intended torepresent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present invention.This is the purpose of the Figures and the detailed description whichfollow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will becomeapparent upon reading the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings.

[0014]FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a package according to the presentinvention.

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates the package of FIG. 1 after a removable sectionof the top cover has been removed to provide access to the fastener.

[0016]FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a package according to an alternativeembodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0017]FIG. 4 illustrates the package of FIG. 3 after a removable sectionof the top cover has been removed to provide access to the fastener.

[0018]FIG. 5 illustrates the steps in a process that can be used tofabricate the package according to the present invention.

[0019]FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a package according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 7 illustrates the package of FIG. 6 after a removable sectionof the top cover has been removed to provide access to the fastener.

[0021] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to belimited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

[0022]FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a package 10 having a tray 12 and thetop sheet 14 (or “top cover”). The tray 12 has a well 16 in whichcontents can be placed and a peripheral flange 18 extending around thewell 16. The package may include a peg hole 19 for receiving a peg fromwhich the package 10 may hang in a retail store.

[0023] To gain access to the contents located within the well 16, afastener 20 is located along the top portion of the peripheral flange18. As is known in the art, the fastener 20 includes first and secondinterlocking members that can be manipulated to open and close thepackage 10. The fastener 20 also includes fins extending downwardly fromthe interlocking members. In this package 10, one fin is attached to thetop sheet 14 while the other fin is attached to the tray 12. Preferably,the fastener 20 includes a slider 22 that allows the user to more easilyopen and close the interlocking members of the fastener 20. The fastener20 also includes a sealed notch region 24 located at the two terminalends of the interlocking members. These sealed notches 24 are useful inthe process used to manufacture and assemble the fastener 20 by itselfbefore it is placed on the package 10. The fastener 20 and its notches24 are disclosed in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/636,421, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.The fastener 20 also includes end terminations 25 for limiting themovement of the slider 22. The end termination 25 can be made byover-molding material on the end termination or by ultrasonic crushing.

[0024] The tray 12 preferably includes a slider recess 26 in which theslider 22 resides so that the slider 22 does not hinder the sealingprocess that is used to attach the top sheet 14 to the peripheral flange18. This slider recess 26 is preferably located at a region on the topportion of the peripheral flange 18 such that the slider 22 is parked inits closed position or adjacent to its closed position. The reason thatit may be preferable to locate the slider recess 26 at a point where theslider 22 is not fully closed relates to the fact that it is oftendesirable to evacuate the package 10 during its assembly, and it isnecessary to have an opening in the interlocking members of the fastener20 through which air located within the fastener 20 between theinterlocking members and a sealed portion of the fins below theinterlocking members can vacate the fastener 20. This will be discussedbelow in more detail.

[0025] The top sheet 14 has a line of weakness 32 adjacent to thefastener 20 and preferably located between an uppermost portion of theslider 22 and the well 16. The line of weakness 32 may be in severalforms, such as mechanical scores, laser scores, perforations, or thinnedsections. The top sheet 14 also includes a graspable section 34 thatincludes a tear line 36. When the consumer initially desires to gainaccess to the contents of the package 10, the consumer grasps thegraspable section 34 and begins tearing the top sheet 14 above the tearline 36. Thus, the top sheet 14 can be thought of as being attached toor including a removable section 40 as is shown in FIG. 2. Thisremovable section 40 provides a tamper-evident feature to the package10. The top part of the flange 18 remains intact after the initialaccessing to allow the consumer to grasp the package when moving theslider 22 to open the package 10.

[0026] To better preserve the contents in the package 10, the package 10includes a hermetic seal 42 between the tray 12 and the top sheet 14along the left side, right side, and bottom of the flange 18. Further,the fastener 20 includes a hermetic seal 44, usually brought aboutthrough the attachment of fins extending downwardly from theinterlocking members. This seal 44 on the fastener 20 is preferably atamper-evident, barrier seal, such as the one described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/468,165, which is owned by the assignee of thepresent application and is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. Because the interlocking members of the fastener 20 arelocated outside the hermetic seal 44 provided by the fin structure ofthe fastener 20, there is less chance for the interlocking members tocause side seal leaks as they are outside the region that must beflattened to develop the hermetic seals 42. A top seal 46, usually apeelable seal, between the flange 18 and the top sheet 14 partiallysurrounds the fastener 20.

[0027] The hermetic seal 42 on the left side, right side, and bottom ofthe flange 18 is strong and is brought about through films placed on thetray 12 and the top sheet 14 that are in contact. For example, the tray12 is made of formable material, such as a multi-layer polymericlamination, and is usually about 5 mils in thickness to provide somerigidity, allowing the tray 12 to remain in the formed configurationshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The top sheet 14 is usually about 1-3 mils inthickness and is a polymeric film or a multi-layer polymeric laminationThe top sheet 14 includes a layer that, when contacted with the materialof the tray 12 under pressure (or heat and pressure), causes the seals42 and 46 to withstand an opening force of about 2-3 lbs.

[0028] Alternatively, the hermetic seal 42 on the three sides of theflange 18 is made of a stronger seal (e.g., about 5-6 lbs. of openingforce required) and the top seal 46 is a weaker seal so that theremovable section 40 can be readily peeled from the package 10.

[0029]FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an alternative package 110 with atamper-evident feature that has most of the same features as the package10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, except that all of the reference numerals are now100-series reference numerals. The package 110 includes a tray 112 and atop sheet 114 that is sealed to a peripheral flange 118 of the tray 112.A fastener 120 resides between the top sheet 114 and the tray 112 at thetop portion of the peripheral flange 118.

[0030] To seal the contents of the package 110, the top sheet 114 andthe tray 112 are sealed with a relatively strong seal 142 along theperipheral flange 118. Additionally, this process 200 involves sealingthe top sheet 114 to the flange 118 along a top seal 142 a above thefastener 120. The fastener 120 has a hermetic seal 144, which is broughtabout by the attachment of a fin structure located below theinterlocking members, as described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0031] To initially gain access to the package 110, the consumer graspsa graspable section 134, which is located between a first line ofweakness 132 and a second line of weakness 133. When doing so, aremovable section 140 (FIG. 4) can be torn from the package 110 alongthese lines of weakness 132, 133, thereby providing a tamperevidentfeature. As with the embodiment of FIG. 1, the line of weakness 132 islocated at a region whereby removal of the removable section 140provides easy access to the slider 122 and, more preferably, to theentire fastener 120. Thus, the primary difference between the package110 and the package 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is that the package 110 has asecond line of weakness 133 and a stronger seal 142 a at the top part ofthe peripheral flange 118 that causes a portion of the top sheet 114 toremain attached to the peripheral flange 118 after the removable section140 is torn from the package 110.

[0032] It should be noted that in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, thestrength of the seals 142, 142 a can be made enhanced (e.g., 5 to 6lbs.) everywhere since the second breakable line of weakness 133 removesthe need for peeling the tamper-evident removable section 140 from thepackage 110.

[0033]FIG. 5 illustrates a process 200 by which the package 10 or thepackage 110 can be made. The process 200 includes formable material 202,a continuous length of fastener 204, and a roll of material 206 for thetop cover sheet. As shown, the process 200 involves a chain of packagesthat are placed in multiple lanes (three lanes shown), as shown in U.S.Pat. No. 4,949,527, which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. In the first step, generally denoted as step 210, the formablematerial 202 is formed to create a series of wells 212 and sliderrecesses 214.

[0034] In the second step, generally denoted as step 216, the contentsfor the packages are placed into the wells 212. Additionally, vacuumholes 218 are placed in the formable material adjacent to the wells 212of the packages. Also, these vacuum holes 218 can be placed in theformable material in a step prior to placement of the contents of thepackages into the wells 212.

[0035] In the third step 220, a continuous length of fastener 204 ispartially attached to the formable material 202. In doing so, a sliderlocated on the fastener 204 is registered such that it falls within theslider recesses 214 located in the formable material 202. The attachmentof the continuous length of fastener 204 to the formable material 202can be accomplished through tacking via adhesive, or by a permanent bondbetween a fin structure located on the fastener 204 and the formablematerial 202. The continuous length of fastener 204 can be supplied (andattached to the formable material 202) in the manner that is generallydisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/636,421, which is ownedby the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. Such a length of fastener 204 has a sliderpre-applied, end stops pre-applied, and sealed sections adjacent the endstops at the point where the fastener 204 is attached to the two sidesof the peripheral flange.

[0036] In the fourth step, generally denoted as step 222, the roll ofmaterial 206 is unwound and placed over the formable material 202 tocreate a cover sheet 223. The roll of material 206 has the structures(e.g., perforations) which result in the line of weakness 32 (FIGS. 1and 2) or lines of weakness 132, 133 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Additionally, theroll of material 206 contains the layers of material needed to form thehermetic seal 42 and the peelable seal 46 (FIGS. 1 and 2), or the seals142, 142 a(FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0037] In the fifth step, generally denoted as step 224, the cover sheet223 is sealed along that portion of the formable material 200 that isadjacent to each of the wells 212. This seal, as described above, is astrong seal which is capable of withstanding the forces of carrying thecontents in each individual package. Usually, at this step, the fastener204 is permanently sealed to both the top cover 223 and the formablematerial 202. Also during this step, the air located in the regiondefined by the cover sheet 223, the formable material 202, and thecontents within the wells 212 is evacuated through the vacuum holes 218.As mentioned previously with respect to FIG. 1, because the sliders arelocated within the slider recesses 214 at a point where the interlockingmembers of the fastener 200 are not fully closed, the evacuation processcauses any air trapped within the fastener 200 to be evacuated, as well.

[0038] Finally, in the sixth step, generally denoted as step 226, eachof the packages is cut from the formable material 202. These individualpackages, which are the packages 10, 110 discussed in FIGS. 1-4, arethen arranged in a configuration for inventory or delivery purposes.

[0039]FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternative package 310 that differsfrom the previous embodiments by having the tamper-evident featurecomprised of a portion of both the tray 312 and the top sheet 314. As inthe previous embodiments, the top sheet 314 is attached to a peripheralflange 318 of the tray 312. A fastener 320 is located between andattached to the tray 312 and the top sheet 314. The fastener 320preferably includes a slider 322 for transitioning the interlockingmembers of the fastener 320 between an open position and a closedposition.

[0040] The top sheet 314 and the peripheral flange 318 of the tray 312include, respectively, a first line of weakness 333 a and a second lineof weakness 333 b. The lines of weakness 333 are at substantially thesame height on the package 310 such that they are adjacent to eachother. While the lines of weakness 333 are shown as being above thefastener 320 and the slider 322, they could also be below the slider322, or even below the interlocking members of the fastener 320. The topsheet 314 and the peripheral flange 318 have unattached regions 335 aand 335 b below the lines of weakness 333. As in the previousembodiments, the top sheet 314 is attached to the peripheral flange 318on the bottom and two sides of the peripheral flange by a hermetic seal342. Additionally, the top sheet 314 is attached to the top portion ofthe flange 318 with a second seal 342 a. Accordingly, the first hermeticseal 342 is spaced away from the second seal 342 a by the dimension ofthe unattached regions 335. The fastener 320 also includes a hermeticseal 344 that extends between the two sides of the peripheral flange 318to maintain the integrity of the contents located within the tray 312.This hermetic seal 344 is breakable by the consumer when the consumeraccesses the contents the first time.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 7, to gain access to the fastener 320 and theslider 322, the tamper-evident removable section 340 is pulled from thetop of the package 310. Because the tray 312 is made of a material thatis substantially more rigid than the top sheet 314, the fastener 320 andthe slider 322 remain adjacent to the top of the peripheral flange 318.The top sheet 314, however, has a foldable section 345 above anattachment line 346 where the fin of the fastener 320 is attached to thetop sheet 314. This foldable section 345, located below the first lineof weakness 333 a, is easily folded downwardly by the consumer to gainaccess to the fastener 320 and the slider 322. Unlike prior art systems,the entire length of the foldable section 345 can be rotated downwardlydue to the unattached regions 335 located at the side edges of theperipheral flange 318 between the hermetic seal 342 and the second seal342 a (i.e., adjacent to the ends of the fastener 320). In essence, theattachment line 346 is a hinge around which the foldable section 345 isrotated.

[0042] The package 310 can be made in generally the same mannerdescribed with respect to FIG. 5. The primary difference is that theflange 318 must include structures providing the breakable line ofweakness 333 b. This can be accomplished by having the formable materialhaving the wells include this line-of-weakness structure beforeattaching the fastener to the formable material. Or, the lines ofweakness 333 a and 333 b can be formed simultaneously by a device (e.g.,a laser) after the top sheet is located on the formable material.

[0043] While the present invention has been described with reference toone or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art willrecognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodimentsand obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within thespirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reclosable package, comprising: a tray having awell in which food is placed and a peripheral flange surrounding saidwell; a top sheet attached to said peripheral flange, said top sheetincluding a removable section that is defined at least in part by a lineof weakness; and a fastener having first and second interlocking membersand transitioning between an open position and a closed position via aslider, said first interlocking member being attached to said peripheralflange and said second interlocking member being attached to said topsheet; and wherein, in response to said removable section of said topsheet being removed, said slider is accessible to transition saidfastener between said open position and said closed position and saidperipheral flange remains intact at regions above said fastener.
 2. Thereclosable package of claim 1, wherein said tray includes a recess inwhich said slider is positioned when said first and second interlockingmembers are in a closed position.
 3. The reclosable package of claim 1,wherein said peripheral flange has a top, two sides, and a bottom, saidtop sheet being sealed to said peripheral flange along said bottom andsaid two sides, said fastener being positioned along said top.
 4. Thereclosable package of claim 3, wherein said fastener includes finportions extending below said interlocking members, providing a hermeticseal.
 5. The reclosable package of claim 1, wherein said fastenerextends along said peripheral flange adjacent to said well such that aportion of said peripheral flange extends outwardly beyond saidfastener.
 6. The reclosable package of claim 5, wherein said removablesection of said top sheet is attached to said outwardly extendingportion of said peripheral flange.
 7. The reclosable package of claim 6,wherein said removable section includes a second line of weakness, saidremovable section also being defined by said second line of weakness. 8.The reclosable package of claim 6, wherein said removable section isattached to said outwardly extending portion of said peripheral flangethrough a peelable seal, said removable section being defined by saidline of weakness and said peelable seal.
 9. The reclosable package ofclaim 6, wherein said removable section of said top sheet includes agraspable section above said line of weakness.
 10. The reclosablepackage of claim 9, wherein said graspable section is at least partiallyattached to said peripheral flange.
 11. The reclosable package of claim10, wherein said graspable section includes a tear region.
 12. Thereclosable package of claim 1, wherein said fastener includes a hermeticseal below said interlocking members and said peripheral flange includesa recess for receiving said slider, said recess being positioned suchthat said slider, when positioned in said recess, causes said fastenerto be away from said closed position, thereby allowing the evacuation ofair from between said hermetic seal and said interlocking members. 13.The reclosable package of claim 12, wherein said recess is positionedsuch that said slider, when positioned in said recess, causes saidfastener to be only slightly away from said closed position.
 14. Thereclosable package of claim 1, wherein said line of weakness is belowsaid interlocking members.
 15. The reclosable package of claim 1,wherein said line of weakness is below an upper portion of said slider.16. The reclosable package of claim 1, wherein said fastener includesfins below said interlocking members, said fins providing an attachmentregion at which said tray and said top sheet are attached to saidfastener.
 17. The reclosable package of claim 16, wherein said fins areattached to each other to provide a hermetic seal.
 18. The reclosablepackage of claim 17, wherein said fins are attached along a line ofweakness.
 19. The reclosable package of claim 1, wherein said top sheetis attached to said peripheral flange via a hermetic seal.
 20. Areclosable package, comprising: a tray having a well and a peripheralflange, said well receiving contents and said peripheral flangesurrounding said well; a top sheet attached to said peripheral flange; afastener having first and second interlocking members, said firstinterlocking member being attached to said peripheral flange and saidsecond interlocking member being attached to said top sheet; and atamper-evident feature attached to said top sheet and being removablyattached to said peripheral flange, said tamper-evident feature being toremovable from said package to allow access to said fastener, saidperipheral flange remaining intact in response to said tamper-evidentfeature being removed from said package.
 21. The reclosable package ofclaim 20, wherein said fastener includes a slider.
 22. The reclosablepackage of claim 21, wherein said tray includes a recess in which saidslider resides.
 23. The reclosable package of claim 20, wherein saidtamper-evident feature includes a graspable section.
 24. The reclosablepackage of claim 23, wherein said graspable section includes a tearline.
 25. The reclosable package of claim 20, wherein saidtamper-evident feature is attached to said top sheet along a line ofweakness that is located below said interlocking members.
 26. Thereclosable package of claim 20, wherein said fastener includes a sliderfor transitioning said fastener between an open position and a closedposition, said tamperevident feature is attached to said top sheet alonga line of weakness located below an upper portion of said slider. 27.The reclosable package of claim 20, wherein said fastener includes finsbelow said interlocking members, said fins providing an attachmentregion at which said tray and said top sheet are attached to saidfastener.
 28. The reclosable package of claim 27, wherein said fins areattached to each other to provide a hermetic seal.
 29. The reclosablepackage of claim 20, wherein said tamper-evident feature is attached tosaid peripheral flange via a peel seal.
 30. A method of making thereclosable package, comprising: forming wells in a formable polymericmaterial; placing product within said wells; placing a fastener on saidformable polymeric material adjacent to said wells; applying a top sheetover said well and said fastener, said top sheet including a line ofweakness that is located between an uppermost portion of said slider andsaid well; sealing said top sheet to said formable material at regionsoutside of said well; and sealing said fastener to said top sheet andsaid formable material.
 31. The method of claim 30, wherein said twosealing steps result in a hermetic seal of said product within saidwell.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein said fastener includes atamper-evident seal in addition to the interlocking members positionedon said fastener, said tamper-evident seal providing said hermetic seal.33. The method of claim 32, further including substantially evacuatingair from said well around said product.
 34. A method of initiallyaccessing a product within a package having a formed tray and a topsheet attached over said formed tray, said package including a fastenerfor opening and closing an entrance to said package between said formedtray in said top sheet, comprising: grasping a section of said top coverlocated peripherally from said fastener; removing said section of saidtop cover without disturbing said formed tray that is adjacent to saidsection; and opening said fastener.
 35. The method of claim 34, whereinsaid step of opening includes grasping a slider located on said fastenerand moving said slider.
 36. The method of claim 34, wherein said step ofremoving includes tearing said section from said top cover along a lineof weakness.
 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said line of weaknessis located on said top cover so as to provide easy access to saidfastener.
 38. The method of claim 36, wherein said fastener includes aslider and said line of weakness is located on said cover so that saidslider is unobstructed after said step of removing.
 39. The method ofclaim 36, wherein said section is attached to said formed tray through apeelable seal, said step of removing further includes peeling saidsection away from said formed tray.
 40. The method of claim 34, whereinsaid step of removing includes carrying said section from said top coveralong two lines of weakness that define said section.
 41. A reclosablepackage, comprising: a tray having a well and a peripheral flange, saidwell receiving contents and said peripheral flange surrounding saidwell; a top sheet attached to said peripheral flange; a fastener havingfirst and second interlocking members, said first interlocking memberbeing attached to said peripheral flange and said second interlockingmember being attached to said top sheet; a tamper-evident featureattached to said top sheet along a first line of weakness and attachedto said peripheral flange of said tray along a second line of weakness,said tamper-evident feature being removable from said package to allowaccess to said fastener; and wherein, in response to said tamper-evidentfeature being removed from said package, said fastener remains directlyadjacent to said peripheral flange of said tray, and an entire length ofsaid top sheet located below said first line of weakness and above saidfastener is foldable away from said fastener.
 42. The reclosable packageof claim 40, wherein said fastener includes a slider for transitioningsaid fastener between an open position and a closed position, and saidperipheral flange includes a slider recess in which said slider resideswhen said fastener is moved toward said closed position.
 43. Thereclosable package of claim 41, wherein said first and second lines ofweakness are located above said slider.
 44. The reclosable package ofclaim 40, wherein said top sheet is attached to an upper portion of saidperipheral flange with two different seals that are separated from eachother.
 45. The reclosable package of claim 44, wherein a first one ofsaid two different seals is located within said tamper-evident featureand is removed with said tamperevident feature.
 46. The reclosablepackage of claim 41, wherein said first and second lines of weakness areat substantially the same heights on said package.
 47. The reclosablepackage of claim 41, wherein said tray is substantially more rigid thansaid top sheet.
 48. The reclosable package of claim 41, wherein saidperipheral flange includes a bottom, two sides, and a top, said fastenerbeing located adjacent said top, one of said two sides including a peghole for receiving a peg that allows the package to be displayed in aretail store.
 49. The reclosable package of claim 41, wherein saidfastener includes a hermetic seal adjacent to said first and secondinterlocking members, said hermetic seal being broken after saidtamper-evident feature is removed from said package.
 50. A reclosablepackage, comprising: a tray having a well and a peripheral flange, saidwell receiving contents and said peripheral flange surrounding saidwell, said peripheral flange having a top, two sides and a bottom; a topsheet attached to said sides and said bottom of said peripheral flangewith a generally continuous first seal, said top sheet further beingattached to said top of said peripheral flange with a generallycontinuous second seal, said first seal being spaced away from saidsecond seal; a fastener having first and second interlocking members,said first interlocking member being attached to said peripheral flangeand said second interlocking member being attached to said top sheet;and a tamper-evident feature attached to said top sheet along a firstline of weakness and attached to said peripheral flange of the trayalong a second line of weakness, said first and second lines of weaknessbeing above said first seal, said tamper-evident feature being removablefrom said package along said lines of weakness to allow access to saidfastener.
 51. The reclosable package of claim 50, wherein said fastenerincludes a hermetic seal adjacent to said first and second interlockingmembers, said hermetic seal being breakable by a consumer after saidtamper-evident feature is removed from said package.
 52. The reclosablepackage of claim 51, wherein said hermetic seal is located below saidfirst and second interlocking members.
 53. The reclosable package ofclaim 50, further including a hermetic seal extending generally parallelto said interlocking members between said two sides of said peripheralflange.
 54. The reclosable package of claim 50, further including aslider attached to said fastener for transitioning said fastener betweenan open position and a closed position.
 55. The reclosable package ofclaim 54, wherein said lines of weakness are above said slider, edgesections of said top sheet adjacent to said two sides of said peripheralflange being unattached to said peripheral flange allowing an entirelength of said top sheet between said two sides of said peripheralflange to be folded away from said peripheral flange.
 56. The reclosablepackage of claim 54, wherein said lines of weakness are below saidslider.
 57. The reclosable package of claim 50, wherein said lines ofweakness are below said second seal.
 58. The reclosable package of claim50, wherein one of said two sides of said peripheral flange includes apeg hole for receiving a peg to display said package in a retailsetting.
 59. The reclosable package of claim 50, wherein said lines ofweakness are adjacent to each other.
 60. A reclosable package,comprising: a tray having a well and a peripheral flange, said wellreceiving contents and said peripheral flange surrounding said well,said peripheral flange having a top, two sides and a bottom; a top sheetattached to said sides and said bottom of said peripheral flange with agenerally continuous first seal, said top sheet further being attachedto said top of said peripheral flange with a generally continuous secondseal, said first seal being spaced from said second seal; a fastenerhaving first and second interlocking members, said first interlockingmember being attached to said peripheral flange and said secondinterlocking member being attached to said top sheet, said fastenerhaving a first end and a second end; and a tamper-evident featureattached to said top sheet along a first line of weakness and saidperipheral flange of said tray along a second line of weakness, saidtamper-evident feature being removable from said package along saidlines of weakness to allow access to said fastener, said lines ofweakness being above said fastener, edges of said peripheral flange ofsaid tray and said top sheet that are adjacent to said first and secondends of said fastener being unattached so that said fastener is easilyaccessible between said peripheral flange of said tray and said topsheet after said tamper-evident feature is removed.
 61. The reclosablepackage of claim 60, wherein each of said first and said second ends ofsaid fastener include a notch, said first and second interlockingmembers being located between said notches.
 62. The reclosable packageof claim 60, wherein said fastener includes a hermetic seal adjacent tosaid first and second interlocking members, said hermetic seal beingbreakable by a consumer after said tamper-evident feature is removedfrom said package.
 63. The reclosable package of claim 61, wherein saidhermetic seal is located below said first and second interlockingmembers.
 64. The reclosable package of claim 60, further including aslider attached to said fastener for transitioning said fastener betweenan open position and a closed position.
 65. The reclosable package ofclaim 64, wherein said lines of weakness are above said slider.
 66. Thereclosable package of claim 64, wherein said lines of weakness are belowsaid slider.
 67. A reclosable package, comprising: a tray being made offormable material and defining a well and a peripheral flange, said wellreceiving contents and said peripheral flange surrounding said well; atop sheet attached to said peripheral flange by a first hermetic sealalong a first portion of a periphery of said well; and a fastener havingfirst and second interlocking members, said first interlocking memberbeing attached to said peripheral flange and said second interlockingmember being attached to said top sheet at locations outside of saidfirst portion of said periphery of said well, said fastener including ahermetically sealed region such that said well is entirely hermeticallysealed by a combination of said hermetic seal at said peripheral flangeand said hermetically sealed region of said fastener.
 68. The reclosablepackage of claim 67, further including a tamper-evident feature attachedto said top sheet and being removably attached to said peripheralflange, said tamper-evident feature being removable from said package toallow access to said fastener, said peripheral flange remaining intactin response to said tamper-evident feature being removed from saidpackage.